Guides

The operating manual we wish we had had.

Long-form playbooks on the parts of running an agency that nobody teaches: pricing a retainer, reading your own margin, and getting off the tool sprawl. Written from running agencies, not from reading about them.

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How to price agency retainers

Price retainers department by department from the people doing the work, target 50 to 60% gross margin on labor, and reprice at renewal from usage statements.

9 chapters8 min readUpdated Sep 3, 2026

Inside1Why price by department instead of a lump sum?2How do you build a $15,000 retainer from departments?3What margin should each department hit?4How do you set the billing rate from cost?5What is the overage rule?6Should unused hours roll over?and 3 more

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